5/28/10

You probably think this song is about you.

As I've mentioned before, I sometimes get these offers from companies that want me to pimp their wares, usually via some "review" of one of their products in exchange for said product. Occasionally, if I can see a humorous angle to take while writing it up, I will agree. I mean, who can forget the goatee saver? I know I can't. I wish someone would send me a ChumBuddy, but since I did that one completely on my own, there's been no offers yet.

Once in a while though, the offer is too good to pass up. Fortunately for someone reading this right now, this is one of those times. It's what I like to call Free Stuff For Someone Who Is Not Me.

The guys from CSN are calling me a "Preferred Blogger" which I am pretty sure means I'm on their short list of people they figure they can probably suck up to and get to do stuff for them.

The offer in this case was to either do a review and get free stuff for me, (no.) or hold some kind of contest and get free stuff for someone else. (why not?) so I agreed to the second option.

Here's the deal: They sell an amazing number of different bathroom vanities, among other things. Lots of other things, actually. They have a couple of hundred online stores, each geared toward a particular product line, and a warehouse that must be almost the size of Bill Gates' 2nd largest guest bathroom on the 5th floor of his summer home.

Sometimes I'm sure the companies end up sorry that they asked me, but in this case I think they will do fine.

They are offering a $150 gift certificate to use at any of their 200+ stores, no strings attached. (I really wish they'd give me something too, but apparently that's not how it works, so instead of a lame post about bathroom vanities that gets me free stuff, you get this one instead.)

In order for you to win this Memorial Day weekend contest, just leave a comment and remember a soldier. That's it. If you feel like it, tell me a little bit about them, because I'd enjoy that.

I'll cut off comments sometime Monday, or whenever they peter out, and use a random number generator to pick the winner.

My grandfather was in the Korean war, way back before I was born. I remember the impression it made on my young self, at his funeral, when they gave my grandmother his flag. It was, and still is, a moment to remember

My grandfather, whom I never knew, was a soldier in the Marines during World War 2. He passed away later on in his life due to Skin Cancer. He brought home a Japanese Flag that a family gave him, along with a sword carried by a Japanese soldier. I am told he was posted at the bottom of the hill where they raised the flag (not 100% sure what it's called, but I'm sure you know what I'm talking about) and was stationed there during dangerous times. I'm thankful for him and his service and for coming home safely to give me a life. God bless the Soldiers in the world fighting for our Freedom.

Both my dad and my uncle served in WWII. My uncle, being 7 years older joined the Marines when Pearl Harbor was bombed along with all his neighborhood buddies. They served through the bloodiest Pacific theater action. When my uncle was dying of cancer at age 62, he said don't feel sorry for me. I had a full life and got to raise my family. Feel sorry for my friends that didn't come home. My uncle was the only one from the neighborhood who came home. He was a Captain, having received many battlefield promotions. So this Memorial Day, I'm remembering all who didn't come home. Not just my uncle's friends, but all those who paid the ultimate price. Thank you!

My uncle, Marvin Shields, fought in Vietnam. He was awarded the Purple Heart for carrying a wounded soldier out of harm's way despite having been shot himself, and then going back to take out a machine gun that was decimating his unit. He spent about 9 hours under heavy fire before he was killed. Thanks for this. We forget to remember.

My dad, Mervin, fought in WWII. He passed away when I was very young, so I had to hear the stories of his years in the war from my mom and other family members. The two things I recall is that he was a parachutist (still have his uniform and medals) and he had a signed letter from General MacArthur that a friend sneaked out of our house never to be seen again. I'm thankful for my dad and his bravery in jumping out of planes to save lives.

My Grandfather....he was a sailor and looked fabulous in his whites all dressed up. He drove the boats that landed armies onto the beaches in WW 2and, though he never told us, had nightmares years later of watching the first boatloads of men being plowed down. One of his buddies shared with me one time that the men wanted on my grandfather's boat because he got them closer to the shore than anyone and they didn't have to swim far. He had many buddies that visited each other over the years and he was so proud of them. I loved the twinkle in his eye when he talked about them. :)

My husband and brother-in-law are both in the Air-force. My Brother-in-law is on his 4th tour of duty. He was blown up by a road side bomb his first tour, and shot by a sniper on his second tour. Yet despite these injuries, he re-enlisted for 4 more years. He is still in Afghanistan scheduled to return in a couple months. Both are incredibly brave and our families couldn't be prouder of them. We send boxes full of snack foods and home-baked goodies regularly to family members and friends stationed overseas. It's the least we can do for them in return for what they do for our country.Here's to honoring all our Armed Forces members for their service and their families for their sacrifices!

I want to honor every soldier especially those 1000 that the media just reported as the troops that have died in this Afghanistan war alone as of yesterday. My prayers are with their families as I can only imagine how difficult it is this Memorial day for their loved ones.

My Great aunt served as the highest ranking female in all branches during WWII. She was in the European theatre as well as stateside. She retired from the military in 1960 and passed away in 2005. She was active in womens movements until she died. Here's to ya Aunt May

I'm going to remember my Dad and my Brother :) Vietnam for DAD and Gulf War for my brother. I'm so terribly proud of the both of them and of ALL of our soldiers VFW's or no because they're protecting my right to spew forth crazy junk on the internet and not have to worry about it - and lol, you know, more important things like ... the ability to wear tight pants and show my hair and ankles and BE FREE and you know... everything.

this is my thanks to my cousin in the usmc, recently returned safely from his second trip to Iraq to find his wife had been unfaithful while he was gone on both tours; a messy divorce is no way to thank a soldier. he's a braver man that i'll ever be, thanks to all in uniform!

My Great Uncle served in WWII. He was one of the first to step foot on the beaches of Normandy and also one of the very few who walked away from it unharmed. He lived a long and fulfilling life and has only now left us about a week ago. We will remember..

I have family that was/is in the service, but I want to honor my former students: Kellie, USN; Tyler, USMC; Daniel, USAF; Sang, US Army West Point; Will, USMC; Marissa, USCG; Heather, USAF. I am so proud and grateful that they all chose to serve their country in this way!

1 uncle at the Battle of the Bulge1 uncle served in WashingtonMy Dad was in the South Pacific1 uncle in Korea1 Cousin in Viet Nam -- His son was in Desert Storm -- he didn't come home.I'm proud of them all.

(Also, I'm a new follower. Most bloggers are women. Its nice to see one from a guy!)

A good friend was in the Marines during WWII. He saw the flag go up at Iwo Jima, and he is prominent in a photo of the battle at Saipan that has been featured in everything from Life magazine to the USPS sheet of stamps commemorating the 1940s. He was a pro baseball player but being a Marine is his proudest achievement.

My father graduated from high school early, in January of 1941. He wouldn't turn 18 until September, but seeing the writing on the wall, got his non-English speaking Sicilian mother to sign the papers necessary for him to join the Navy. He trained as a fire controlman and was in the service until the end of the war, and was torpedoed twice, his ship sunk and his best friend killed. He rarely talked about the war, but then he was a quiet and humble man. We lost him in 1999. I'm thankful for his service, and to all who serve.

I'm not in America, so I wouldn't even be able to use the gift certificate if I won it. But I'd like to talk about my Papa anyway, who did a few years ago when I was 9. He fought in WWI and WW2. I can remember how his greatest pride was his medals- but also his greatest sadness. He used to tell me he wished he could swap all his medals for his buddies who didn't make it. He was an inspiration to us all.

We don't have Memorial Day here, but we do have ANZAC Day on April 25th, and I'm ashamed to say I was out of the country and forgot it. I'm sorry, Papa. You meant the world to me, and I'm so glad you made it back home. Thank you for everything.

I don't have any family (immediate, anyhow)or friends to tell stories about. I do remember military veterans on this weekend, however, by participating in a couple of local events. I would love to win this. You have no idea. Thanks for hosting!

My father entered the military at the age of nineteen with a wife and child from a small coal mining town. He wanted a better life and with 75% tuition assistance as an airmen who made less than $8,000 a year managed to provide the last quarter of tuition plus books. It took him six years of working the swing shift and attending classes during the day to complete his bachelors.

In that time, though we qualified for W.I.C. and foodstamps, I never knew we were poor. How could I know? I hadn't wanted for love, books, or my father's time (aside from temporary duty assignments and deployments) despite being a student and a soldier.

After twenty five years, my father is a Lt. Colonel with a Phd teaching at a military university.

In this military, no one is nondeployable, and that includes professors. My father returned in March from his 4th deployment and has already been told he's been voluntold for an assigment beginning this December. (That means two months of training and hostage school before even leaving.)

My father isn't the only soldier that I know and love, this military life of mine is filled with them, but I wanted to share his inspiring story.

Thinking a lot about my dad, who served in WWII in the navy in the pacific theater. He's been gone several years now and I really regret not having spent more time asking him about his experiences. Ran across his letters to my mom after she passed away. Touching and fun to read. Thanks to all who serve!

And by the way, do you think you could get me the number of the blond girl in the customer service section of that website? I think I've seen her picture before on other websites, so she apparently gets around some. And funny, she doesn't look like she lives in India.

My grandfather, Paul Richardson, US Army, WWII; my husband's grandfather, Bayard Bernard, US Navy, WWII; my father-in-law, Roger Cunningham, US Navy, Vietnam. They all made it home. Both grandfathers have passed away, but my father-in-law is in better shape at 65 than I am at 40. I'm so grateful for their service.

The son of my best friend serves in the Marines and is stationed in Afhganistan right now - he's been there since early April, and will return to the States (God Willing) at the end of October. He has already done a tour in Iraq. Sgt Scott Gendron - we thank you for your service to your country!

my mom lost a cousin in Vietnam and I remember tracing my finger over his name at the Vietnam Memorial Wall in D.C. 25 years ago, hoping to feel some sort of connection... but mostly just feeling sad because he was only 19 when he died and I was in college at the time that I was touching his name on the wall while seeing my vague reflection... basically the same age as he had been when he died, yet doing nothing remotely close to heroic... I thanked him then; I thank him now...

two cousins in the Navy, one cousin who was an army ranger medic in Afghanistan, not to mention my grandpa and Great uncle who both were in the air force. Plus several Friends from college who have been forced to deploy to Iraq time and time again.

My grandpa served in WWII, but was only called up in time to complete basic training before the war ended. My dad also served in the army and then went on to work with NASA on aerospace stuff. And my husband was in the army, too, as a Pathfinder. All honorable men of whom to be proud.

My grandmother was a Navy Wave, and my grandfather was in the Navy as well. I also have a close friend going to Afghanistan in October on her second tour. God Bless all those who serve and have served our country!

My dad was career Air Force, serving in Vietnam. He doesn't talk much about his "glory days" unless you get a few beers in him, and then he is quite entertaining. When we were stationed in California, he told me about how they would park the latest military jet fighter on the tarmac and cover the windows with black plastic bags so the Russian spy satellites could see the planes, but not the technology inside. After retiring, Dad went into Civil Service and is now an airfield manager for a large army post. A story you might appreciate: he was a safety control manager during Desert Storm. A general who was itching to get his troops overseas started loading the guys on the plane while it was fueling-- a big no-no. My Dad tried to respectfully tell him that they couldn't put troops on the plane while it was fueling. When the general pulled rank, my Dad (whose patience runs a gentle incline to a very large cliff) told him he could "go piss up a rope, but [he wasn't] putting those troops on HIS plane." A few years later, that same general was the post commander with a few extra stars on his collar. He gave my dad an award for civilian employee of the year: "You look rather familiar Mr.----."

My Dad's service gave me a better life and I am thankful for his service and his example.

Of all those listed, only one was lost. A boy from my highschool who could never get his life straight in the time that I knew him. As I learned after his death, he trained to be a medic after the rest of us left for college and was killed 3 years ago by an IED while trying to save other wounded soldiers.

My grandfather was killed in WWII, long before I was born. My wife is a former Air Force officer, and we have her commission scroll framed and mounted next to my grandfather's. Hopefully these will help our children to gain some sense of the value of service...

I would like to say many thanks to my dear friend, Pete, who is a wonderful guy and Vietnam Vet. He is also the most attentive cashier at my local packy- so we have a very close relationship. Thanks for all you did, Pete, and I'll see you when this Octobox of wine runs out.

My father and his three brothers all served in WWII - Army Air Corps, Army, Navy, and Marines. My maternal uncle also served in the Navy, as did my grandfather. I have a wonderful photo of the two of them, side by side in their uniforms. My late husband did two tours in Vietnam. I salute them, and everyone who has served. Thank you all.

I come from a long line of veterans, spanning several wars. The youngest is my nephew who has done two tours in Iraq and will probably be sent to Afghanistan. I have nothing but love and respect for our veterans. Great idea for a Memorial Day post.